Driving Responsibilities

*These instructions apply to applicants who are at least 18 years of age

To drive in Mississippi, you will need either a Mississippi driver’s license or a valid license in your home country and a valid international driver’s license. Even if you do have the home country and international license, it may still be preferable to get a Mississippi license because of the policies of automobile insurance carriers. An unexpired license from another state can be used for 60 days after abandoning your residence in the issuing state.

Obtaining A Driver’s License in Mississippi

Types of Licenses

Learner’s Permit

For learning to drive on MS public roads

Allows you to drive only when a licensed driver who is at least 21 years of age occupies the adjacent seat in the vehicle

Must pass the written and vision exams

Valid up to 2 years

Fee is $7.00

Original Driver’s License

Vision, Written and Road Skills tests required, but Written and Road Skills tests may be waived if applicant is over 18 and has had an out of state license for at least 6 months.

Issued for maximum of 4 years but actual length may be shorter depending on immigration status end date

Required for all license types:

Proof of physical address such as lease or rental agreement and electricity, cable, or other utility bill

Certified birth certificate with English translation on university letterhead

Social Security Card, if you have one

Application fee paid with cash, debit card, Visa, or Mastercard

Application and Testing

Applications and required tests are administered by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety at the Oxford Testing Center located on Hwy 7 South at Veteran’s Drive. You may contact the office by phone at 662-236-2066. Tests are administered on a walk-in basis from 8:30- 11:00 and 2:00- 4:00 on Monday – Friday. You may take all of the tests on the same day, however, if a test is failed it cannot be re-taken on the same day.

Be in a properly licensed and insured vehicle with an up to date inspection sticker

A trained examiner and you will be the only vehicle occupants during the test

Test will not be given when road conditions are wet or slippery

The Written and Road Skills tests may be waived if you are over 18 years of age and have held an out of state license for at least 6 months.

When applying for your initial license and when renewing, be prepared to answer the question “ Do you want to be an organ donor?”. If your answer is “yes”, a symbol will be placed on your license and your information will be entered into a registry. More information can be found at Donate Life MS.

Practice Tests

A variety of free practice tests can be found on the internet. Here are some examples (please note that these are third-party website that are not endorsed by the Mississippi Department of Transportation, The University of Mississippi, or The Office of International Programs and all resources should be used at your own risk and crosschecked against the official Mississippi Driver’s License Manual.):

Directions to Testing Center

From the University, take Highway 6 east towards Tupelo. Turn onto Highway 7 south. The testing center is about 2 miles from here on the right hand side of Highway 7 where it meets Veteran’s Drive. The center shares a parking lot with the Lafayette County Health Department.

Car Insurance Requirements

Liability insurance coverage is required for all vehicles by Mississippi law. You can be asked to show proof of having at least the following minimum coverage:

$25,000 per person (single accident)

$50,000 per accident for bodily injury

$25,000 per accident for property damage

Other types of insurance to consider include:

Uninsured Motorist

Underinsured Motorist

Collision

Personal Injury

Comprehensive

What to Do in Case of an Accident

Automobile accidents are headaches. Here are some quick tips to help you:

Turn hazard lights on. In most cases for minor accidents, cars should be moved to the side of the road to avoid causing additional accidents. Take pictures and stay at the scene unless it is dangerous to do so.

Call the police even if you think an officer is not needed.

Request accident report from officer.

Be sure to get names, addresses, phone numbers, tag numbers and insurance information from any other parties involved in the accident. If possible, also take down the driver’s license numbers of the other drivers.

Contact your insurance agent as soon as possible after the accident.

To help you remember the details of the accident at a later date, write down everything you can about the accident as soon as you can, your version of what actually happened, position of the cars, information about the weather and road conditions, traveling speeds, and damage done to all vehicles.